Drawbridge 1999, graying and decaying. The cabin in the
foreground is The Gordon Gun Club built in 1880. It was the first
building constructed in Drawbridge after the bridge tenders cabin
(1876).

Note the Dutch "curved"
roof. Some say it was constructed by a ship's captain to resemble
the cabin on his ship. Another story has it that a couple of
railroad men built it in the form of an early train car. Like
many of the duck clubs in Drawbridge, it had two rooms. One room
was a combination kitchen/living room and the other the bedroom
or bunkroom.

It is miraculous that any of these
buildings are standing. For years, vandals have been skulking
into Drawbridge, setting fire to the buildings, and pillaging
anything not previously pillaged .

The pillaging commenced when people
were still living in Drawbridge - due in large measure to the
skullduggery of The Mercury News. For years the Murky News printed
stories about The Ghost Town in the Bay, saying that inhabitants
had moved out, leaving valuable antiques and belongings behind
in their cabins. In fact, people had not moved out. The cabins
have been plundered continuously ever since. Most have been burned.

In addition to the "abandoned"
story. Newspaper articles were written in the 1940's, 1950's,
and 1960's depicting the people of Drawbridge as low-life gamblers,
gangsters, and prostitutes. As Oscar Wilde once quipped, "You
can't believe half the lies people tell about me."

In 1906, Drawbridge had grown to 79 cabins (private residences
and duck clubs) and two hotels.

In 1926, Drawbridge was in full flower with approximately
90 cabins, and had five passenger trains a day.

Beginning in the late 1920's, excessive pumping of fresh
water by surrounding communities would cause subsidence of the
land and fouling of deep wells. Like Alviso to the south, Drawbridge
began to sink. The railroad and cabins were in constant need
of "heightening."

In addition to land subsidence, raw sewage from San Jose
was affecting the sloughs. Fish and foul abandoned the marshes.
The diked salt evaporation ponds prevented natural cleansing
by the tides.

In 1940, 50 cabins remained. The smell of raw sewage in
the sloughs discouraged any thought of swimming.

In 1967, drawbridge consisted of 42 taxed residences and
a population of 25.

In 1976, there were 24 taxed residences and one resident - Charlie
Luce.